What your body is trying to tell you

I'm watching Oprah (yes, I am a stay at home mom) and guess what the topic is: whacky hormones!

Specifically, Oprah has a thyroid problem similar to mine: hyperthyroidism, followed by hypothyroidism, rollercoaster episodes of manic energy followed by exhaustion, etc.

Her guest is Dr. Christiane Northrup, who says that at 35 or so, women go through The Big Change (Menopause? Come on, lots of us are just starting to have kids!!) and our hormones go out of whack.

But -- like many in my fleet of doctors have told me -- the whacky hormones are really just a side effect of something else, something wrong in the soul, something wrong in the heart. It's your soul's way of sending your body a wakeup call: we need to get more joy in our life!

Joy, she says, affects our hormones in a good way. So does anxiety -- in a bad way. So does eating crap. So does physical activity -- getting the blood flowing, the circulation going. Common sense, really, but how many different ways do we need to be told before it sinks in?

It's your body's way of telling you: You're no longer a child. It's time to put away childish things. What is the real truth of your life right now? What is the truth right now?

I recently went to my general doctor to have my blood tested again. I told him: I see an acupuncturist. I exercise. We go for walks every day. I see a shrink (a whacky shrink, more like a soul therapist). I enjoy each and every day. I enjoy my child. I'm letting go of my bad family past. He said: You are doing everything right. You are healthy and strong. Go enjoy your life.